I understand that you borrowed from VCF, but I'm curious if you talked to any local banks/credit unions to comparison shop and if they were competitive?

My sister lives in Lee’s Summit, so I’ll have family nearby to help navigate the local scene.

Networking with Canadians who’ve invested in the U.S. and finding good local agents or property managers will also help a lot.

It seems you and your husband have the ability to make a property more desirable and I would try to stay local for the same reasons you listed. 

Quote from @Lee Banks: Hi my name is Lee I'm looking too buy my first rental property and but I feel as if I need a mentor to watch, I still need to learn the basics of real-estate does anyone in New York do programs or mentorships and where would you start if you first started real-estate today  Hello Lee,I'd recommend looking up local meetups here on BP, meetup.com and, eventbrite.You can also call around to speak with RE investors and professionals in your target market to begin making connections.With so much available information online, I'd recommend speaking to a few people and doing independent research before committing to mentorships.

While I’d love to invest locally, most properties here are beyond my price range.Right now, I’m compiling a list of potential properties, underwriting deals, and reaching out to Realtors.

A knowledgeable broker can help navigate these changes and find the right coverage for your property.

Thank you for your time and knowledge.

If you owned the local grocery story, you wouldn't apply their grocery bill to their rent payment.

i feel like the local FB groups will not allow me to advertise my STR there because they would label it as "soliciting".. any way to get around this so that it doesn't look like i'm soliciting?